COMMONWEALTH NORTH STUDY GROUP
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA – Its roles and responsibilities
Discussion Notes from meetings of
September 4, 2002
- We need more specificity in:
- How does the university decide what it does and does not do? What are the criteria?
- There is a “sieve” document, an initiative process for new programs
- A public university is a political entity
- The public has many wants
- Wants exceed resources
- Public needs to understand perspective
- Public needs to understand the prioritization process
- (Pat Pitney will provide information on the prioritization process and rebuilding dynamics)
- The balance between teaching and research
- Definition and understanding of “service”
- Wants, needs and experiences of rural campuses
- What comprises a “center of excellence?”
- University of Alaska System president role vs. the roles of the campus chancellors
- We need to make some specific actionable recommendations to the university. We have been talking about abstractions and many ethical and moral imperatives.
- Have our basic questions been answered? Why are we part of the study group?
- The study group has developed an evolving definition of the university.
- Comments that we have seen that the university has been doing a good job with many impressive programs.
- Nevertheless, there is a perception/understanding gap between the university and the public
- The university may need an increased marketing budget to overcome the perception gap
- It is healthy that the three main campuses have a diversity of mission and purpose.
- The university has improved on its information systems and self-examination.
- In broad terms, the study group wants:
- A philosophical statement emphasizing the importance of teaching
- Confirmation of the core liberal arts component in each campus
- Individual campus centers of excellence
- The university is preparing Alaskans for Alaskan jobs.
- All three campuses are working on:
- The brain drain
- Engagement (although there is the greatest differentiation between campuses in this area)
- Focus on state and student needs
- “Historical accidents”
- Research located in Fairbanks (e.g. fishing)
- The UAA/community college combination
- Should anything be changed?
- It might be productive to compare what we originally thought about the university with what we have found our about the university.
- How is campus “ownership” of programs shared between campuses?
- Discussion about the transferability of credits
- Much progress
- Accredited vs. non-accredited programs create different requirements
- Audiences for the university:
- High school graduates
- Employers
- Parents
- Returning adults
- Community members -- a place to go for enrichment
- Government
- Duplication: a general rule -- do not worry about duplication unless there are high costs, low enrollment or specialized equipment
- Students are more and more “place bound.” Non-traditional students do not have the flexibility to pick up and go to other campuses. With job and family situations they are obligated to stay in one locality. E.g. UAA is now 2/3 non-traditional.
- We must back up our recommendations with facts.
- Is there academic resistance to distance delivery? How can we verify the reality?
- Cost
- Effectiveness
- Increasingly moving towards mixed models
- (onlinealaska.edu has a lot of distance delivery programs)
- System vs. campus costs and needs
- When and how does the “universal service” cost sharing concept come into play?
- Possible recommendation for a goal: “ U of A makes distance between people as small as possible despite geographic separation.”
- Under girding principles for offering programs:
- Students
- Resources
- Needs
- Possible finding: our student loan programs are subsidizing the brain drain
- Possible recommendation: modify student loan programs
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